With All My Heart: A Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town Fanfic
by Storyteller1000
Summary: Hello Everyone! This is my first fanfic ever. Harvest Moon has been a series I've loved for years. Recently I had my character marry for the first time in Friends of Mineral Town. However there were some hiccups along the way and this story was inspired by those hiccups. I want to improve as a writer and would appreciate reviews and tips. Thank you and please enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

As I step out from the barn, I look and am greeted to snowflakes landing on my face. Looking around at the field, there is no sign of life to be seen. I want spring to hurry up and return so I can begin planting crops again, but I do appreciate the break from the heavy labor. I reach into my pocket for the 50th time this morning to check if my recent purchase is still there. Like every other time, it is. I take a deep break and begin the march into town.

Layers of snow cover the fields and paths of Mineral Town. This place has been my home for two years, three in spring. And to think, all I was planning on doing was to visit the old man from my childhood and to thank him for his kindness all those years ago. Yet he had died and to my greater shock left me his farm. At first I was reluctant. I had an exciting and fast-paced life and moving to a small farm town was far from my mind. Eventually though, I got the hang of it and Clover farm has grown to resemble its former glory. As I arrive at the hospital, a wave of excitement hits me and I push through the door to be greeted by her. There, at the frontdesk, is the love of my life, Elli.

She sees me and waves with a big smile. It is typically my routine to visit her everyday, most times with the flowers that she likes, but today I do not have any. As I take one last deep breath and walk over, I pass by the Doctor studying his papers intensely, as usual. He is always deep into his work, barely thinking of anything else, but I guess that is a good thing for a doctor, although some organization skills might do him some good. Suddenly I find myself face to face with Elli.

"Hello Jack!"

"Hi Elli!" I say "How's work been today?"

"Oh a little eventful. Rick overworked himself and fainted, so we had to revive him, but other

than that it has been quiet. How are you?"

"Oh fine. Just been keeping myself and the animals alive."

Elli giggled. For a while, there is a pause. A mix of emotions has overtaken me and I am close to running out of this place and hiding,

"Are you alright Jack?" Elli asks.

I snap out of my daze and go full force, placing my hand into my pocket and looking into Elli's eyes. "Elli... you have been so kind to me these past two years and I love how our relationship has grown."

"Oh Jack, I love it too!"

I smile a little and say "I love you Elli and I was wondering... would you marry me?"

It is at this moment that I take out the coveted blue feather and present it to her. Elli's eyes

widen and she stares at it for what feels like an eternity. Then she says, "Oh Jack, this is

beautiful...but I can't accept this."

My heart drops out of my body, through the floor and into the

center of the earth where it disintegrates. "Wh.. Wha.. Why not?" I manage to stammer out.

Elli's eyes begin to well up. "To be frank, my heart is still torn and I cannot leave the Doctor ."

"WHAT!?" I shout.

I look into the Doctor's office. The man is staring intensely into a test tube, unaware of the conversation at the front desk. Yet somehow he senses that he has been referred to and without looking away shouts,

"Huh?" I look back at Elli. "Really?!"

Elli sighs, "He's a caring man and I have had feelings for him for years. I can't just forget about that and move on."

"But Elli," I shout, a little louder than intended, "we've been going out for almost two

years. Doesn't that mean anything?"

At this Elli begins to cry and runs to the restroom. I am left standing at the front desk, hurt and confused. As I walk out the door, I too, begin to cry.


	2. Chapter 2

Winters can be hard for me here in Mineral Town, with the world around me being so dead. I was hoping to bring life to this time of year, but that dream has been crushed. I walk through the back streets along the row of houses, keeping my head down, hoping that I don't see anyone. Snow is falling all around me and part of me wants to be completely buried in it. Why would she say no? We'd been together for so long and I thought our love was real. Did she not feel it too? And when did the Doctor become so important? I know they've known each other for much longer but I did not think it was that serious. Oh...what do I do now?

"Oh! There's Jack. Hello sweetheart!"

Suddenly I jump up and see Ellen, Elli's grandmother, waving me down from her window. For a split second I forget to keep my head low and she quickly sees my tear-stained face.

"Oh dear, what's wrong? Here, come rest inside."

I don't have time or the will to decline before she unlocks the door, shuffles her way over to me, grabs my hand and drags me inside. This might be the worst thing that could happen now. Only thing to make it more horrific would be for Elli to be here, but thankfully she is still at work. Ellen sits me down at the table and foes to pour some tea. The house is warm and Stu, Elli's kid brother, come from out of his room to see what's going on.

"Hiya Jack! Did you bring me some chocolate?"

"Hi Stu. No, not today bud. 

"Then why are you even here?"

"Stu, remember our conversations on manners?" Ellen asks. She turns to me and says, "Now what's goin on?"

I take a deep breath and explain. "I proposed to Elli this morning...and she rejected me."

Ellen gasped, "What?!"

Stu walks up to the table and asks, "Why? Is it cause your ugly?"

Ellen looks shocked, regains her composure and states, "Stu...why don't you go and play outside?"

"Cause it's cold out."

She smiles, "I wasn't really asking dear. Just until Jack leaves."

Stu, who is clearly annoyed by this, grabs his coat and stomps out of the house. Ellen looks back to me. "Tell me what happened."

"Well, I went to the hospital to see her and we talked like we do every day. I told her how much our relationship meant to me and she shared the same feelings. That's when I pulled out the blue feather and asked her to marry me. All of a sudden, everything changed and she declined."

"Why, I don't believe it."

"Yeah I know and get this. The reason she said no was because she still has feelings and does not want to leave him."

Ellen freezes and looks for her next set of words. The house is quiet and I begin to worry that I said something wrong when she responds.

"Normally, I would say she may very well have feelings for someone else or that she may not be ready for that stage of a relationship, But Elli is my granddaughter and I know how happy you make her. She loves you and has even expressed being ready to marry you. So to hear that she said no is rather unsettling. Have you tried talking to her again?"

"I made her upset the first time, so I didn't want to hound her about it again. Aww Ellen, I'm so confused. I did everything I was taught to do in a relationship and now everything is a mess!"

I slump into my seat and shake my head. Ellen thinks for a moment and then says, "Well the only other thing I can think of for you to do is talk to the Harvest Goddess."

"The Harvest Goddess?!" I ask confused. The Harvest Goddess is the deity of farming towns, including ours. Unlike her name suggests , she really hasn't affected the harvest in any way, shape, or form. Because of this, I see interacting with her as unnecessary and have not seen her at all in my almost three years here.

Ellen continues, "Yes, the Harvest Goddess. She lives in the lake on the mountain. I've heard she sometimes gives a boost in affection in relationships."

"REALLY?!"

"Yes and at the very least, she might have some insight into the relationship that we don't have. I believe it is well worth your time."

I jump up, hug Ellen and state, "Thank you, thank you!" As I run out of the door, Ellen says, "Remember Jack, when paying a visit to the Harvest Goddess you must bring her a gift, otherwise she won't appear."

"OK, I will!"

I rush out of the house and down the road. I hear Stu behind me saying, "Bye Jack! Please bring me chocolate next time."

"I will!" I scream as I race home.


	3. Chapter 3

I race down the road toward the Hot Springs, trying not to trip on the snow covered path and crush my gift in the process. I had barely glanced at what I grabbed as I barged through the kitchen looking for anything to throw in. Now I am almost there, hopefully to reverse this awful reality I am currently living, The mountain that I am climbing is more of a hill than anything, but between the snow holding me back and the amount of running I have already done, it feels like I am climbing to the moon. At last I arrive at the top and turn towards the lake. I've rarely been up here but there is this strange sense of peace all around. Looking at the water, I notice for the first time that is the only body of water I have seen completely unfrozen in winter. I finally look down at my gift to the Harvest Goddess. It is a small and pathetic excuse for a turnip, but, hey, they can't all be winners.

Turning to face the pond, I realize that I don't actually know what to do or how elaborate this whole process is suppose to be."Hello? Ms. Harvest Goddess lady?" No response. "I need your help! I brought a gift." I shout louder. Still only silence. "Well I am giving it to you now!" I give the turnip a good throw and it plops into the water. There is a long pause and I begin to wonder if any of this is actually going to work. Did Ellen tell me to do this just to comfort me? I try again. "Hello? Is anyone here?!" I am beginning to feel annoyed. I did what I was suppose to do, why isn't she holding up her end of the deal. "HEY LADY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

All of a sudden, a blinding flash of light fills the entire Hot Springs, forcing me to fall backward in submission. As the light dims, the figure of a woman appears and becomes clearer and clearer. And she looks annoyed.

"Am I a joke to you?" she states. The light fades away and her image becomes fully visible. To my surprise, she is the height of an average human, with long seaweed green hair. I stare at her up and down and our eyes meet as she stands hovering over the water, glaring at me.

"I..I...ughhhh," is all I am able to get out.

"I,I, what! First you throw me this puny gift, then you yell at me to come out?! I wouldn't feed this to a rat!"

All of a sudden I am filled with pride for that sad pathetic turnip. "Hey it's the middle of winter, what did you expect. Besides I had to grab something quick to get up here. I need your help ASAP!"

The Harvest Goddess' face becomes covered in shock. "Why you little…"

I continue, "You see there's this girl back in town who I have been dating for a while and I tried proposing to her but she said that she still loves this other guy. I heard that you give boosts in relationships to couples, so I need you to give me a huge boost of affection so that she will undeniably love me."

As I stop talking, I catch my breath and look straight into the deity's face. At this point it is filled with utter disbelief and anger.

"YOU must think of me as some cheap matchmaker because I don't know who you are talking to! My services do not work like that. For me to bless a relationship, you have to have visited me for weeks, giving me a substantial gift each time."

"What!" I scream.

"That's right. To reap the rewards you must have some time and patience, neither of which you seem to have much of."

My anger begins to well up toward this goddess. Who does she think she is? I brought her a gift, can't she cut me some slack. But rage won't convince her, so I regroup.

"You have to help me, I'm desperate! What if i repay you after you help me out. You know, like a loan."

"I've received nothing but disrespect since you have been here. I am not obligated to help you with anything."

As she finishes this, her face begins to soften. "However, I'd hate to be the reason for the demise of your relationship. YOU could do that all on your own. So I will help you. But you must visit me until the end of the spring's harvest everyday and bring me more than table scraps. Understood?"

This deal is absurd, but once Elli and I are together, it will be nothing but a mere annoyance.

"Sure. Fine. Whatever. Thank you now let's hurry up!"

The Harvest Goddess rolls her eyes but begins waving her hands over the water. Without looking up she asks, "What's her name?"

"Elli." I look closer into the lake and I am surprised by what I see. The water in front of her begins to resemble something along the lines of a computer database, with various information on the villagers and town. I even see my picture appear. As I look back up at the Goddess, she starts to look puzzled at the image.

"Umm…this is odd."

"What's odd?" I ask, confused and a little nervous.

She looks up at me. "You said you have been dating this girl for a while? And she rejected you"

"Yes?"

"And you are sure her name is Elli?"

"Of course her name is Elli! Why would I not know her name? I'm not a monster!"

"Well...from what I can see you're both already at a red heart with each other, so you both have maximum love levels."

"What?" I manage to stammer out. My mind is racing. We both love each other with all of our hearts yet everything is falling apart. This has to be a cruel joke.

"So what does that mean? You're still going to give the boost right?"

She sighs, "Here's the thing Jack, even if I did give it to you, it would not do anything to improve your situation. You both love each other."

"No...no that can't be!"

As I say these words, tears heavily stream down my face until I break out into a huge sob.

"Are you...crying?! Look, your case is unusually so I will allow you to come into my abode so we can figure out your screwed up love life."

I sniff, "Really?"

"Yes, now come on blubber boy I don't have all day!"

The Harvest Goddess waves her hand over the edge of the lake and in a blink of an eye a stairway to the bottom appears. Within seconds the flash of light appears again and the Harvest Goddess is gone. I stare at the strange stairs and begin to question if this is some type of trap. But it's my last resort. I step down and, strangely, the watery step is solid and easily holds my weight. I continue on until I reach the bottom.

As soon as I step down, the stairs disappear behind me. I look around and see the Harvest Goddess in a small room. What I see is not the space I would expect from the Harvest Goddess. It is not fancy or well kept, rather it is as messy and dingy looking as a teenager's room, maybe even worse. The furniture is worn, there is food spilled everywhere and random objects clutter the floor. The only elements of the room that remind me that it belongs to the Goddess are the piles of unique-looking books and a pool of water in the middle of the room. I find all of this hilarious and prepare to make a remark when the Harvest Goddess turns around and says, "If you try to crack one word about my abode, I will zap you into two towns over, understand?"

Smirking, I shrug and say "OK."

The Harvest Goddess turns to sit in the beat up armchair, picks up a book and begins to flip through it. I look around the room, still not sure whether to be amazed or disgusted when she says, "Jack, in other universes, love is probably a complex emotion that is incredibly nuanced. But in ours it is simple and relatively easy. Now tell me what you have learned about forming a relationship with a romantic partner."

"Well, you need to see them on a regular basis, if not daily, and talk to them. You also give them gifts when you see them. Then eventually you both love each other enough that you upgrade your house, order a big bed, and buy the Blue Feather to propose and get married."

When I finish, the Harvest Goddess looks as though she expects more.

"Yes and?"

"And what?"

"What about heart events?"

"Heart what?"

She stares at me completely mystified. "Do you know anything about heart events or even heart colors?!"

"No and as far as I know no one else does."

"Dear gosh, you humans are so lost!" she shouts. "Listen let's start with heart colors. With romantic relationships, you have a heart that changes colors as your relationship progresses. The order is black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red which is the color you are at when you propose. Four of these colors trigger heart events. Heart events are special moments between you and your partner that advance the relationship. All towns in our world have some form of this basic idea. It is essential in love but apparently you humans don't even realize that it exists. Are you following me?"

Her response makes me realize that my face must look as lost as I feel inside. She continues, "Come on. Let's check if you had your heart events." She moves toward the pool of water and the database image reappears. She becomes puzzled and then says,"You idiot!"

"What? What did I do?"

"You screwed up every single heart event!"

"I did what? So I had them?"

"Yes you did and you ruined every single one. Heart events are about choices. When you experience one, you feel the urge to choose between a few options on how to respond to a given situation. You made the wrong choice in every heart event."

I stand lost and respond, "So what now?"

The Harvest Goddess continues to stare into the water. "Lucky for you there is a solution. If you had just missed the events it would be as simple as meeting the right conditions and triggering them. But since they have already happened you will need to go back in time and relive those exact moments and make the right choice."

I feel incredibly faint hearing all of this. Heart events? Time Travel? Everything I thought was possible is changing. Yet with that confusion is a feeling of hope.

"So will you help me?"

The Harvest Goddess sighs, "I've helped you so much already today but I will, on one condition. That deal that we made earlier? I now want it extended to the end of the fall harvest. No expectations."

I wince at the thought of extending this relationship and losing more crops but it will be worth it. "Deal." I say.

The Harvest Goddess nods. She reaches into the pool and pulls out a piece of paper. "Here take this. This piece of paper has all of the exact times and dates of when your heart events took place."

I take the paper and look down at it. The Harvest Goddess pulls up a different image in the water and soon it is filled with an array of colors until it is clearly a portal. The Harvest Goddess turns to me and says, "Come closer."

I walk over to her as she reaches out her hand and touches over my chest. "I am making you more attuned with your heart. That way you will be more aware when you are experiencing a heart event, It will also make you aware of your choices of responses but it will not tell you the right answer. Do you understand?"

A surge of excitement and renewed hope goes through my body. "Yeah, yeah I do! Now hurry up and drop me in!"

The Harvest Goddess rolls her eyes, "Alright, have it your way."

And with that she pushed me through the portal.


End file.
